NBA Playoff Expectations - Eastern Conference

Let’s take a break from all the inconsequential news stories out there (LS polls and cognizance of the Naxal threat in India, a lawyer for Kasab, a slipper at Advani, the end of the financial crisis?) and turn to something far more significant : the NBA playoffs. While it may not match what their fans expect, every team entering the playoffs has its own set of expectations. Here’s what we can guess they are for the teams in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit Pistons – in a rare personnel miscalculation, Joe Dumars traded his team’s engine (Chauncey Billups) for the volatile Allen Iverson, and oh how the Pistons have fallen. A year after finishing with the league’s second best record and making their now customary trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, they’ve had a 20 game drop to finish with the 8th seed in the East and barely make the playoffs. While expectations are low, this team still retains a lot of its weapons from years before. Nobody thinks they can dislodge the mighty Cavaliers, the NBA’s best team, but nobody would be surprised if the Pistons showed some resilience and took this series to a hard fought 6 or even 7 games.

Chicago Bulls – having with one poor effort arranged for a playoff matchup against the defending champion Celtics as opposed to the Orlando Magic, Chicago has only itself to blame. With a team that was only sometime ago being considered on par with Portland for young talent, the Bulls have no excuse for finishing the season with a .500 record. Their post-season expectations mirror their underachieving regular season as guard Kirk Hinrich beautifully captures when he says, “We’re excited to be in the postseason. We’re going to try to get ready.”

Philadelphia 76ers – their season ended the day Elton Brand was ruled out for the remainder of it. Having contrived to avoid the Celtics in the first round, it is possible that they might fancy some chance of an upset of the young, but still formidable Magic. While they are 0-3 against the Magic this year, Iguodala (led the league in averaging almost 40 mins a game) and co. should really want to prove themselves as worthy of a sixth seed, and a team better than its .500 record might suggest.

Miami Heat – D-Wade gets a chance to put some icing on his already legendary comeback and this team only goes as far as he does. If there is a one man team in the NBA, this is it, and if there is one man you don’t want to face in the post-season, that would be Wade. The comparisons to the 2006 Lakers squad on Kobe’s shoulders have been made ad nauseam, but the Heat don’t have to play the Phoenix Suns in the first round (Lakers took a 3-1 lead and then lost the next three). We can all expect some fireworks in their series against the Hawks, and anything from then on is a bonus.

Atlanta Hawks – a year after pushing the Celtics to 7 games in a first round matchup, more was expected of the Atlanta Hawks than they’ve managed to deliver. That said, they’ve secured home court for their first round series and have drawn a team (see above) that cannot do them much damage other than a certain No. 3. They should be looking to cruise through Round 1 and then repeat their Round 1 performance of last year in Round 2 this year. That would be a pretty decent post-season outing.

Orlando Magic – while they’ve lost some crucial games they could’ve won over the course of the season, third seed sounds about right for this team. They have the most dominant big man in the game today in Dwight Howard and with a near 60 win season, there will be expectations. Philadelphia shouldn’t pose much of a challenge, but Orlando aspires to more than just a second round appearance. It all hinges on how badly Dwight Howard wants it. When he’s playing at his best, this can be a very dangerous club. They should expect to give both Boston and Cleveland a run for their money. Howard needs to show he can get it done in the post-season.

Boston Celtics – for a defending champion, they’ve been a bit under the radar this year, thanks to some high profile injuries and a season for the ages in Cleveland. At the same time, this is a 62 win team and remains one of the best defensive clubs in the league. Anything short of a repeat performance will be considered a letdown considering it is apparent that their championship window was only a three year stretch. Ray Allen is 32 and KG at 31 is showing the signs of all those years of toil. They expect to have KG back for game 1 of the Chicago series and with him should expect to be in the NBA finals again, if not to win it all and repeat as champions.

Cleveland Cavaliers – That the Cavs have improved 21 games in a single season and have the best record in the league, with the most imposing home court to boot, should be enough to convince anyone of Lebron James’ candidature as MVP. This unbelievable turnaround itself should please most Cavs fans, but having made a trip to the NBA finals with a far lesser team following James’ magical and otherworldly game 5 performance against Detroit in the 2nd round in 2007, anything short of a championship will be considered a disappointment. If you keep in mind that James is a free agent at the end of next season, Cavs fans would think a championship is the only way to keep James at Cleveland. They have been the best team in the NBA for the stretch of the season and they will want to show in the post-season that their record was no illusion.